The Safest Cars To Survive A Crash

Did you know that despite all the technological advancements in car safety, the car accident death rate had the highest rate of increase in 50 years in 2015? Lower gas prices and a better economy are two reasons cited for more driving and more dying on the road. But the other culprit is distracted driving due to our damn mobile phones. We’re texting, searching for new Pandora stations, and surfing the web while driving more than ever before.

Within the past three months, I’ve witnessed four accidents and experienced three close calls. One accident was strange because two cars stopped at a four-way intersection with stop signs, but the Audi Q5 SUV then proceeded to plow into the Toyota Prius’ front passenger door! I was rolling up to the intersection when the accident happened. The woman driving the Audi wasn’t aware of the Prius to her left because she was either in a hurry or looking at her phone.

Take a look at the following crash statistics in America and the world according to the Association For Safe International Road Travel for 2016.

Unless action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.

I love cars, but I love my life even more. The two easiest things a driver can do are: 1) slow down, and 2) stop looking at or talking on your mobile phone. If you’re a parent, I’d also consider not allowing your teenager to drive or get into a car with another teenage driver.

For those of you who also value the importance of safety, especially if you have a baby or kids, I wrote this post for you.

Car Safety Logic

If you were to put these two precious guys:

into this:

I firmly believe they’d have a higher chance of surviving a car accident than if they got hit in this:

Unfortunately, none of us are allowed to legally drive a tank around town. Therefore, we most look for the largest vehicle possible that’s also practical to safeguard our loved ones!

Safety According To The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is the authority in vehicle safety in America. Here’s what they have to say about what to look for in a car for safety,

Frontal crashworthiness — Look for good ratings in frontal crash tests. Most newer models earn top marks for frontal crashworthiness in the federal government’s 35 mph test head-on into a rigid barrier and the IIHS 40 mph moderate overlap test into a deformable barrier. Many but not all late-model vehicles earn acceptable or good ratings from IIHS for protection in a small overlap front crash.

Side crashworthiness — Choose a vehicle with good side ratings plus side airbags that protect your head. IIHS and NHTSA rate models based on tests that simulate front-into-side crashes. The tests represent different side-impact dangers. Drivers of vehicles with good ratings in the IIHS side-barrier test are 70 percent less likely to die in a driver-side crash compared with drivers in poorly rated vehicles. The majority of 2008 and newer models have side airbags as standard equipment.

Roof strength — Look for a strong roof. IIHS rates roof strength to help consumers pick vehicles with roofs that will hold up in a rollover crash. Strong roofs reduce the risk of fatal or incapacitating injury in a rollover. Ratings began with 2008-09 models.

Head restraints — Pick a model with a good seat/head restraint rating to reduce whiplash injuries in a rear-end collision. Vehicles with seat/head restraint combinations rated good by IIHS have 15 percent fewer insurance claims for neck injuries than vehicles with poor ratings. You can help increase protection by adjusting the head restraint to correctly fit your head.

Electronic stability control — Buy a vehicle with ESC. It’s standard on 2012 and newer models and available on many earlier ones. An extension of antilock brake technology, ESC engages automatically to help drivers maintain control on curves and slippery roads. ESC lowers the risk of a fatal single-vehicle crash by about half and the risk of a fatal rollover by as much as 80 percent.

Car Weight – The safest cars typically weigh between 3,500 lbs. and 4,500 lbs, the range in which a vehicle remains safe in collisions with larger vehicles such as full-size SUVs while limiting additional threats to drivers of smaller, lighter vehicles such as compact cars. Smaller, lighter vehicles generally offer less protection than larger, heavier ones. People in lighter vehicles also experience higher crash forces when struck by heavier vehicles.

I wanted to highlight what the IIHS said just in case you don’t believe in my simple picture logic above. I’m sure there are some of you who object to bigger vehicles because you want to save the planet. But if you really wanted to save the planet, you wouldn’t drive a vehicle at all! You’d only walk, barefoot. You’d also go into a save the planet occupation and live naked in the woods to reduce your carbon footprint.

This article is about saving a passenger’s life in an auto accident.

The Safest Cars To Buy

Under the overarching premise that bigger is safer, let’s go through some various top-ranked vehicles for safety according to various publications.

IIHS – Top 5 Safest Cars For Under $30,000

Toyota Avalon Sedan

Toyota RAV4 Mini-SUV

Nissan Maxima Sedan

Volkswagen Passat Sedan

Chrysler 200

Autobytel – Safest Vehicles For Under $40,000

Honda Odyssey Minivan

Hyundai Genesis Sedan

Toyota Highlander SUV

Volvo S60 Sedan

Volvo XC60

The Car Crash Detective – The Top Safest Cars By Side Impact

Some cars provide a satisfying *thunk* when you close their doors. Other cars, not so much. The thunk sound is what you need to hear when buying a safe car because side impacts are the most likely to be fatal. The simple logic is that there’s less material between you and the car that t-bones you compared to front and rear impact collisions.

The Crash Detective writes, “That’s what this list is based on. Every cm between you and a life-ending amount of energy is a life-preserving cm of survival space. Let’s see who’s doing the best job at it right now. For brevity’s sake, I’ll list the top 10 cars I could find.”

24 cm – 2010-2015 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan (e.g., E 350).

22 cm – 2015 Subaru Outback.

22 cm – 2015, 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI.

21 cm – 2014, 2015 Fiat 500L.

20.5 cm – 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan (e.g., C 400).

19.5 cm – 2010-2015 Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe.

19.5 cm – 2015 Subaru Legacy.

19 cm – 2011-2015 BMW 5 Series (e.g., 528i).

19 cm – 2012-2016 Audi A6.

19 cm – 2015 Acura TLX.

19 cm – 2013-2015 Dodge Dart.

US News & World Report – Best Luxury Midsize SUVs

2016 Tesla Model X

2017 Audi Q7

2017 Porsche Cayenne

2017 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid

2017 BMW X5

2017 Lexus RX 350

2016 Lexus RX Hybrid

2017 Acura MDX

2016 Range Rover Sport

2016 Lincoln MDX

2017 Volvo XC 90

2017 Cadillac XT5

2017 Mercedes GLE

2017 BMW X6

2016 Infiniti Q60

IIHS – Top Safety Picks For All Vehicle Types 2017

Stay Safe Out There

Gonna be tough to give up Rhino!

You may be the safest driver in the world, but that won’t stop a distracted idiot from t-boning you to the hospital. Slow down, stay alert, and wait to respond to a text message until after you’ve arrived at your destination.

I’ve owned Rhino, my awesome Honda Fit for 2.5 years now (3-year lease). He’s been able to park in 25% more parking spots in San Francisco thanks to his small size. He saves me time and reduces stress. But given that I plan to start a family, I’ve got to focus on safety first, second, and third.

After extensive online and offline research, I’ve narrowed down what my next vehicle will be. If you’d like to share what vehicle you think I should buy or highlight which vehicle has the best combination of safety, style, and fun for a middle-aged person with a new family, please share! I’m all ears.

Lower Your Auto Insurance Costs: Check out Esurance online for some of the best plans with the lowest rates around due to their lower overhead costs. It’s worth spending a moment filling out a quote to see if you can save some money for free. Car insurance is one of the largest ongoing expenses for car owners. Esurance has good driver discounts, and multi-product discounts as well. There is no obligation to sign up once you get a quote either. You want to leverage the internet to get the lowest rates!

Author Bio: Sam started Financial Samurai in 2009 to help people achieve financial freedom sooner, rather than later. He spent 13 years working in investment banking, earned his MBA from UC Berkeley, and retired at age 34 in San Francisco. Everything Sam writes is based on first-hand experience because money is too important to be left up to pontification.

His favorite free financial tool he’s been using since 2012 to manage his net worth is Personal Capital. Every quarter, Sam runs his investments through their free Retirement Planner and Investment Checkup tool to make sure he stays financially free, forever. We a new son, he and his wife never plan to go back to work.

For 2018, he’s most interested in arbitraging the lower property valuations and higher net rental yields in the heartland of America through RealtyShares, one of the largest real estate crowdfunding platforms based in SF. He sold his SF rental home for 30X annual gross rent in 2017 and is looking to buy property at half the valuation with strong income generation.

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Comments

I figure since you practice stealth wealth that I can eliminate most of the luxury cars on the list. I’m thinking you’ll go with something that holds their retail value like a subaru. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what you pick out this go around.

You can still practice stealth wealth while driving the luxury cars on that list. Just buy used / get one that’s still in good shape but is a few years old. A 2009 Audi Q7 won’t have all the current tech bling of a 2017 Audi Q7, but I’ll bet it’s still at least 90% as safe. For a fraction of the price!

You should probably get it new since depreciation is so slow; the edmunds true cost to own is marginally cheaper with a used one.

I’m in the medical field and will most likely never earn what Sam does in a year (my specialty makes around 210,000–amongst the lowest of practitioners) and SHOULD get an outback since it’s the most practical car out there at its size.

But I want a 1-3 year old, heavily-depreciated compact luxury car. My one guilty pleasure hehe.

Interesting. I drive a Mazda 3 which is a lot of fun and on the safest small cars list. That being said I will throw a note of caution into safety comparisons of vehicles. Some use the wrong logic, number of crashes of the car which would be bias by the type of driver or the number of cars on the road. Others look at how the car fares in a crash, again safety and crash worthiness are not necessarily the same. Your tank example is crash worthy, but would the gapping blind spot lead to more accidents? I actually have this arguement with my wife all the time. She is enamoured with rear facing car seats and believes we should rear face as long past two as we can. I agree it’s better for my kid in an accident but it creates a gapping blind spot when I turn which I believe increases my likelihood of a crash. So is it safer? Certainly under a certain age, or for certain drivers, but there is a trade off point.

I can’t stand it when I see people driving with their face buried in their cell phone. You can always tell who it is as they start to drift over into the other lane. I always honk at these people and it freaks them out. Nobody is that important. Whatever you’re doing can wait a few minutes until you’re out of your car.

I vote going with the Tesla. Not the most price efficient vehicle but I just think they’re really cool cars. Good luck Sam!

The auto pilot is fantastic in these cars. I have ridden in one down a curvy back road and it performed better than I could have. The auto braking is already proving to be a life saving feature on Tesla and other cars. They are AWD so you can still get out in the snow. It only costs about $6 per 300 miles (in North Carolina anyway) and is free to charge at Tesla charging stations which are probably all over San Francisco.

But to be honest the speed of these cars in Ludicrous mode is the selling feature. It is unlike anything you have ever felt before. These cars will pull harder than any super car or sport bike from a stop. Not exactly a safety feature but the top end speed is lower at least.

Not cheap at 100K but well within your 5% of Net Worth for a mid life car.

(I’m not sure if this adds anything so feel free to delete it if you like.)
My master plan for my kids is to hope that they never have to drive and to hope that less and less car accidents happen by the time they’re legally allowed to drive, thanks to self-driving cars. They should be available to normal people by 2021 according to https://www.driverless-future.com/?page_id=384.
-Aaron

Do the individual vehicle models safety ratings take into account the number of fatal crashes per vehicle model “per capita”? That would be interesting. I mean if you look at the Honda Oddysey,
It may have fewer fatalities partially due to the type of buyer. For example, Perhaps many Oddysey buyers are women engineers, who have some of the lowest insurance premiums, likely due to their statistically low involvement in crashes. The Oddysey’s likelihood of fatal crash involvement is thus reduced overall, not completely because of its safety features, weight, design etc. but partially due to its target audience.

As a automotive engineer I recommend large sedans. The one thing IIHS is not talking about is rollover risk. If you take your vehicle on higher speed roads, like trips to Tahoe, than you need to consider roll over risk. SUVs have higher center of gravity and worse handling and are involved in more single vehicle accidents. So since bigger is better but taller is worse the best option tends to be a large sedan. Luxury brands tend to include more accident avoidance features so there is some marginal benefit with price. I would not recommend Toyota products, they do well in a crash but they are worse at avoiding a crash from the standpoint of handling and stability control etc.. However avoiding a accident really depends on your skill as a driver. Most people will brake and drive into a obstacle rather then perform a 1/2 g turn that any modern vehicle is easily capable of. If you want to be really safe get a large sedan and take some performance/avoidance driving lessons.

LOVE my Honda Accord Sport. It’s a few years old and I got a ridiculous deal: $19.5K brand new (too good to pass up). It’s sporty, gets great gas mileage (commute ~70 miles round trip — yes, Silicon Valley commuter), and is fun to drive. Spouse doesn’t like the seats (not enough lumbar for long trips) but I do just fine with a seat cushion for extra padding as my commute is a trek.

Like some of your other readers recommended, you should wait until AFTER you have your first baby before you decide which vehicle to buy, as what they say is true: a regular size car is hard to carry 2 adults, 1-2 kids in car seats, and baby bags, strollers, pack-n-plays, high chairs, and weekend luggage. Fortunately, the Accord works for me because my kids aren’t toddlers anymore, so don’t have to carry around all that extra baby stuff. It definitely takes up a lot of room in the trunk.

Another reason to love my Accord??? I can practice stealth wealth at home or at work, because who could imagine a “millionaire-next door” would be driving a Honda Accord?

I guess lucky for me that I outgrew (or at least I got rational) my interest in fast cars and luxury cars. Have already owned a Z3M, a Mercedes, and a classic super sport. Now my Accord Sport is enough for me, as I rapidly pursue FIRE.

I’m driving one of the safest luxury SUV’s on the list and with a young family and a lot of road trips its a good thing. Of course I don’t recommend spending so much money on a vehicle until you have a multi-million dollar net worth and significant income, which I do.

I owned a Honda minivan for 10 years and regret selling it every day since! The utility is simply unbeatable. Swallow your pride and consider it. Toyota makes an AWD version as well.
I LOVED Subarus until they converted to CVT transmissions. It was a deal breaker for me. It turned my favorite line into my least. The Subarus have no responsiveness between the motor and the transmission. Driving one in the hills of San Francisco would be absolute torture for me. It is a shame because despite the changes for the worse, Subaru keeps breaking its own sales records and will never go back to a traditional automatic transmission. Manual transmissions are available but only on entry level trim. Considering your time at Tahoe I would consider something with AWD and or FWD with snow tires. I’ve leased a number of Acura MDX over the years through work and have felt they are great luxury for less than competitors pricing. Third row seating and reasonable fuel economy make it a nice alternative to the minivan.The Honda guts should give you confidence to run 15 years no problem. Good luck with the purchase.

No minivan?! You’re a newb parent. Wait till you have to haul out three baby carriers and keep them all asleep…and then actually be able to stand upright afterward to carry them? As a mom who bore three babies in two years, I recommend my Odyssey 100 times over. Swallow your pride to save your back. And the dually stroller fits easily, too. Safety ratings and functional utility make this vehicle the top choice. Now that the kids are older, I’m going back to work and in need a large SUV to pull the trailer and seat the kids n their friends. Recommendations for this minivan loving mom?

As a supporter of factual data, I have always been a bit confused as to why IIHS would separate their ratings into different size categories. Even the IIHS website specifies “a small car that’s a TOP SAFETY PICK+ or TOP SAFETY PICK doesn’t necessarily afford more protection than a bigger car that doesn’t earn the award.”

That is a HUGE fine print to have when accidents don’t discriminate. A Smart car earning maximum points a few years ago leads to its marketing department touting safety features because it did very very well against another car similar in size and weight, but completely ignored the fact it is very unlikely for a Smart car to crash into another Smart car. Instead it would most likely to have an accident with a SUV or truck much bigger and heavier on US roads. Which begs the question, what is the real world “safety rating” for those driving in a Smart car? Am I better off in a 20 years old pick up lacking modern safety features for crashworthiness?

IIHS needs to switch to a control testing method where they pair up the test cars against the the most common type of vehicle on the road to have a representative spectrum for safety. Not only does the current system misleads consumers, it also unfairly mask the actual advancement of small car safety in the past few decades.

VW Golf R. Comfortable and practical enough to be family car and 30 mpg on highway but 0-60 in under 5 sec. it also practices “stealth wealth” in that it looks so similar to a normal Golf that no one will know. Also has a ton of safety materials.

When I see you cruising around in your Golf R, I get sad because I couldn’t afford it, but the GTI is still fantastic. I’d opt for smaller cars because they are much more nimble and they can avoid collisions more easily than a Minivan or SUV at high speeds.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration US auto deaths are only 1.27 per 100 million miles traveled( as of 2008). While the total numbers are sad and scary, when looking at the amount people travel one’s chances are insanely small. Based on miles traveled, I’m not sure how much safer one really is regardless of vehicle choice. I’m not sure buying a large vehicle would really make any statistically significant impact on your safety. It might also be worth examining the impact of reduced driving, while also avoiding highways and other high crash area roads.

I’ve always been partial to the Audi Q5, great style, awesome interior (especially that panoramic sunroof), and from the IIHS list apparently top safety pick as well. It’s relatively compact enough yet plenty big for a family. The only downside is gas cost and price tag. I just recently wrote about going electric, and the driving experience is like nothing else out there. If you can get past some of the funky designs, I would opt for one the electric/hybrids on the list.

Shows that trucks, vans, and SUVs were actually more fatal than cars for nearly a decade, because they’re more prone to rolling over. I haven’t been able to find great updated reports, but it looks like since 2012, when the ESC you mentioned became standard, the fatality rate between SUVs/Trucks/Vans and Cars is now about even.

“Going big” is only half the equation, and Trucks/SUVs are not a whole lot safer than cars, despite what common wisdom or the crash test ratings would lead you to believe. Worse, big vehicles can make some drivers feel invincible when driving with a little fear would be better for us all.

“Worse, big vehicles can make some drivers feel invincible when driving with a little fear would be better for us all.”

Many SUV drivers think AWD gives them control and they can drive as fast as forward traction allows. Unfortunately, once they stop accelerating or brake, AWD means nothing and they are subject to the laws of physics like everyone else.

Kind of a downer article (when reading the stats)… but a rational thought process. I think what you’re saying to me if that I should look more seriously at buying a Tesla. I won’t complain as I would really like that to be the next car we purchase. I look forward to seeing what your selection will be! Always keep future kids in mind!

First, thank you for your blog. I invest different than ever before
because of your advise. I do appreciate it.

Cars to consider. I rent a car every Wednesday and every weekend. Yes,
it’s a chore, but that is how I make all my side money to invest for
my future, and I drive those cars over 1000 miles each time I rent
them.

There are many models I like, and for different reasons. Mostly
depending on where I am driving. Long distance where I want to stretch
your legs and possibly sleep in it, I really like the outback. But the
two I really like when heading to Seattle are the Toyota Corolla and
the Hyundai Elantra. Big enough for average comfort and small enough
to deal with city driving, parking, etc.

Both cars get good gas mileage, I want to say combined city and
highway is 30mpg, layout is good in both as is trunk room. If it were
me, where I keep my vehicles for a long time, 10+ years, I would go
Toyota. You know you can count on it. The Hyundai would be okay as
long as it’s not something long term. Seems like some of the Elantra I
rent are sturdy and have no issues where other ones seem to have
issues with all the small things.

Hope that helps. Best of luck and I look forward to more investing advise.

Definitely go with a Tesla! You could wait for the affordable Model 3 to come out, and even though its not a ‘large’ car I would be willing to bet that the autonomous features will more than cover for the lack of size. Some data came out recently from a Tesla crash that just having the automatic breaking activated in their cars decreased accidents by 40%, plus the software is just getting better and better.

Soon enough autonomous cars will be the norm and traffic collisions will become exceedingly rare. Can’t wait!

Also I wanted to let you know that I think you meant to say less not more material here “The simple logic is that there’s more material between you and the car that t-bones you compared to front and rear impact collisions.” Less material with t-bones, therefore they are more dangerous.

I for one can’t wait for self driving cars. It is ridiculous to lose so many lives to anything that we have any modicum of control over. If technology can solve the problem (because people as a group are never going to become safer drivers), yay.

Also, for the first few years of your child’s life a well installed solid carseat is going to go a long way towards determining safety in case of a collision.

“But if you really wanted to save the planet, you wouldn’t drive a vehicle at all! You’d only walk, barefoot. You’d also go into a save the planet occupation and live naked in the woods to reduce your carbon footprint”
I also felt that this was a bit reductio ad absurdum. Obviously the two choices are not “do nothing or go live naked in the woods”.

I ride my bicylce to work daily. Because of this, I see distracted drivers at red lights all the time. Mostly texting, but nothing is more dangerous than talking on a cell phone.

The safest way to avoid accidents is to not drive. The second safest way to avoid accidents is to not drive on a freeway, and don’t drive during rush hours.

Oh, and if all else fails, buy a safe car. I feel much safer on my bicycle, and fitter, and healthier. I don’t talk much about bike commuting on my blog though, because it’s just my commute, and I write about personal finance.

I’ve seen some ugly, ugly accidents involving a car and a bicyclist. Legs bent backwards, cracked open skulls with massive amounts of blood gushing. Colleague died in a bicycle accident, and a consulting client also was hit by a car and had to have reconstructive surgery on her jaw.

I always love seeing articles like this as I work in insurance, in particular auto physical damage, and have a totally different perception based on what I see and lists that come out. For example, while people consider Mercedes to be fantastic, did you know that a newer model may result in months of wait times for parts. I personally had a customer upset with me because his brand new Mercedes didn’t have any available replacement air bags and the dealership wouldn’t let him drive it for liability purposes which resulted in him running out of rental. So always be aware when you buy a car if it’s new and high end or the first model year of a redesign that you may be challenged for parts if you do get in an accident.

I’d go with a midsize or larger sedan. Or maybe one of the smaller SUVs. I’m not a fan of the larger SUVs. Even with all of the new technology and stability control, I feel that they would still be prone to rollovers.

My husband and I just went through a very similar exercise. We are planning to start a family and I needed to get rid of my 10 year old jeep so we did some research. We were looking for a car or SUV with all wheel drive to handle the snow and bad weather in the northeast. We identified many of the vehicles discussed in your article above. After a bunch of test rides and research, we ended up purchasing a used 2014 ML 350 with under 20K miles, from a local dealership running a promotion in the early fall. The price was in line with a new, fully loaded, Honda accord and it offered more room and some nice safety features (collision warning, lane assist and blind spot detection to name a few). My husband wasn’t a fan of buying a new car since it loses it value so quickly and I really enjoyed feel of the ML on the road.

Figured I would share as an alternative option to leasing, as there are some nice and most importantly safe used cars on the market.

Highly recommend the Volvo SC60. (Esp if you splurge for the R series, but certainly not necessary). If safety are your 1 2 and 3 priorities, you really can’t do better. The full length side-airbags work incredibly well. My wife and son were rear ended at high speed on a highway, spun around, and plowed into a railing. The car was declared totaled, but they both walked away without a scratch. We replaced it with another, and the AWD is fantastic in the snow going to the mountains here in WA for skiing and snowboarding. Also, because it is lighter than the XC90, your pick-up is fantastic when you need to get away from distracted idiots on the road.

We just bought a 2015 Tahoe and LOVE it. We had a small crossover for years and got tired of not having enough room to carpool for kid’s sports or store all of our gear for adventure travel (kayaks, stand up paddleboards, skis, camping gear, etc). We know a family that recently died in a car accident (their only child survived) while driving a small car and it confirmed that having a larger (potentially safer) car is the right decision for us. It’s the nicest (and most expensive) car we have ever purchased but it’s worth every penny.

I completely understand the logic and as a young father, my dream car is a volvo xc60. All the passive safety features in the world and a lot of steel to protect the family.

But isn’t it exactly that reasoning that make roads unsafer? Our best answer to road safety cannot be to surround ourselves in big layers of steel to keep us intact and destroy the other party in a crash.

Ultimately, it will be driver less, lightweight vehicles that will increase road safety on the road. It’s so frustrating to drive on the high way and see driver after driver look at their phones instead of the road.

Guess I only have a few years left to drive those big engine cars before they take away one of my dearest pleasures hahaha.

Unless we can prohibit everybody from buying a car over a certain size and weight, and unless we can get rid of the existing cars over size and weight, the only thing we can do is control what we buy and how we drive.

I don’t see a snowballs chance in hell that every car has to be the size of a Honda fit. Therefore, I’m going to use my knowledge, my driving skills, and my wealth to buy something safe.

We were in a similar situation a few years back. I remember reading that weight was an important factor. I think 5000lbs was the criteria to be in the safest category. That made us choose the VOLVO XC90 over any Subaru. Well, now we have 410,000 trouble free miles on the XC90.

The highway safety institute frames it as a matter of staying on the road when there is a soft shoulder…where most all of the fatalities occur. Most fatalities occur when the car leaves the road and hits a fixed object, like a tree. It’s been a few years since I investigated and with three babies it was my most important priority. I would have bought a tank…XC 90 was the closest I could find.

Funny that you said slow down and pay attention. The other day when driving I slowed down in a school zone. I was not on my phone but some angry man pulled up to me and started yelling at me. He assumed I was on the phone. So my reaction was to slow down further and let him go on by.

Driving is by far the most dangerous thing we do each day. That is why I keep my commute to a minimum.

Sam – I urge you to consider using “shift” (the company) to buy a used car in the bay area. We had a great experience with them buying a luxury SUV. Dont sell your Honda to them, they undercut you on price a lot, but they have some amazing deals if you know what you want and are willing to wait (reasonably!).

We ended up with an Infiniti SUV originally worth 50K, two years later and 30K miles later sold to us at 25K. Dealers were quoting 32K for the same car, all the bells and whistles, rear camera, AWD etc.

The other thing I recommend is also waiting till after the baby to buy – yes its a bit more painful, but atleast you know how much space you need and if you maybe want to have another child? kind of sort of :P I was firmly convinced that a sedan has enough trunk space for all the baby things, but what I didnt realize was there isnt enough space for luggage and baby stroller for a trip to the airport, or a weekend away! Firmly in the SUV camp now.

The older I get the more I think about safety with cars too. Living in a city like SF I see way too many careless, aggressive and distracted drivers. And even though the increase in ride sharing like Uber and Left is super convenient from a consumer perspective, it’s brought SO many more cars on the roads here and a lot more close calls and actual accidents.

Of course there’s safety risks even riding a Muni bus in the city – let’s face it some of those drivers should not be on the road – but the risk of injury riding on a giant bus is much less than being in a poorly crash rated car.

Anyway, lots of great suggestions in this post and taking size and safety ratings into consideration before buying any car is so worth it. Fortunately I don’t know anyone personally who died in a car crash and hopefully I never will.

The new XC60 that was just unveiled looks mighty fine, especially if the XC90 is too much car for a city dweller. Definitely on our list for when its time to replace/upgrade our Crosstrek in a few years.

There are some pretty interesting cars coming out these days…we own a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek – great car for what it is. Excellent safety equipment for the class, not pretentious, but well equipped and comfortable. Also one of the best AWD systems out there and more ground clearance than most SUVs. The Geneva motorshow is going on right now and Subaru juts released the 2018 Crosstrek (new platform – based on the new Impreza that you might’ve seen on the roads) – so might be something worth looking at when it hits showrooms later this year. They also hold their value incredibly well.

You had also mentioned the Accord sedan but that you were shying away from it because you need AWD for Tahoe trips. I’d like to ask you to expand your horizons and consider a FWD car like this and buy a spare set of snow tires for the winter months. A FWD with good snow tires is infinitely more capable than an AWD car on run of the mill all-season tires. Your drivetrain is only as good as the traction your 4 wheels are giving you – and AWD does nothing to help you STOP a car. Snow tires will help with both of these – it’s an investment of a few hundred bucks but you’ll essentially have 2 sets of tires that last twice as long, and are much safer – and you can save money on the car itself by not going for an AWD model (and typically better fuel economy as well). Especially for California’s “light” winters FWD with snow tires will be unstoppable. For most Californian drivers snow tires are absolutely overkill – but if you do plan on going up to the snow often, it is a worthwhile investment.

TL;DR – can vouch for Subarus, great value for money. If you’re looking at FWD cars don’t shut them out – consider snow tires for winter (good decision for any car, really if you can afford it and have the storage space).

Subarus are great, but the brand doesn’t speak to me for some reason. Never longed for one growing up. Never rode in one growing up either, so have no experience. But from a utilitarian perspective, it’s great.

We bought a new(dealer model) Volvo S60. Amazing deal on it because it was their loaner car but still a brand new car. Great safety and comfort. Fits both of the car seats we owned well although some slight disfiguration on the leather back bucket seat.

I vote for a Tesla model S or model X as well. I know it is expensive and it is definitely cost more than 10% of my family annual income but my family and my life worth much more than the car itself. I can guarantee you that your life will not the same without your love one and I will do anything and everything to protect them. Anyway, the reason why I recommend a Tesla model S is because I witnessed many bad accidents during my daily commute to San Jose. Couple weeks ago, I saw a big Ford Pickup F150 slammed into Tesla model S that was slowing down because of heavy traffic. The back of the model S was completely demolished but the driver was able to walk away from the accident. On the other hand, the driver on Ford F150 was unconscious or he needed serious medical attention. life is full of choices, choose what you think is best for your family. Good Luck.

I’m glad the Ford Kuga’s didn’t make the short list! Just stay away from the Ford Kuga’s!!!! They catch fire!!! It’s at least 2 years since the first fire and Ford refuses to acknowledge there’s a problem!

Interesting read, around a year ago I moved not only near a train station but close enough to cycle to work – 90% of which is along canal safely away from cars!

This has enabled me to drop my annual millage from 15k to 5k, keeps me fit and has dropped my stress level.

With that said! Cycling is often seen as a ‘safe’ way to travel but if you look at the stats it’s often more dangerous than riding a motorbike!

Thank-fully I live by a river which leads to towns boths sides so I thankfully very seldom cycle near a road – I also don’t have any kids and I can tell you know when I do my car choice will certainly change!

I was driving back from a wedding with my wife and infant in my Toyota Landcruiser. A Toyota Camry sideswipped me on the passenger rear quarter panel on the freeway as we were travelling at 70 mph. In police talk that would be a pit maneuver. I literally felt a small bump like I drove over something then noticed the Camry rebound off into another lane. Didn’t even wake up my sleeping child.

Thank you. I am impressed with the rig. It can tackle quite a bit of everything. Can easily get 250-300k miles out of it. Toddler was in the middle of the middle row. We have a Chicco keyfit which makes it easy to snap in from either side.

I had to chuckle when you gave the safety tip of not allowing your teenager to drive. After you chauffeur your kid around for 16 years straight you might change your mind. I’m worried from the second my teen pulls out of the driveway till the moment she gets home. However, do you really want to rob your kid of the joy of independence that comes from getting there license?

I second another comment about a VW GTI. I know VW isn’t en vogue because of dieselgate, but it ranks high on your side thickness stat, they’re fun to drive, roomy, and 4drs which is convenient when you have a kid. I’m late-30s too, and I got one last year for 25K out the door (in you neck of the woods, so includes tax & doc). They’re fairly full efficient and “stealth-wealthy”. Also, you being in the city, it still gives you some of that compact car traits like your Rhino to help you into parking spots that a full size sedan can’t. And you get that door “thud” as well that you won’t find in a Honda (I’ve owned 3 Hondas previously).

My wife had an Accord before kids. We had twins and her back didn’t do well getting two car seats in and out of a car (she’s fairly tall and has had back problems for several years including lots of shots and a surgery). Most full size SUVs we looked at were too tall. So she decided on an Odyssey. She loves that van – the sliding doors alone make it easier to get kids in and out than any other vehicle. I want to hate it, but it’s so ridiculously practical that I can’t. If I had known then what I know now, I would’ve kept the Accord for me and gotten rid of my truck when we got the van.

If you’re going to purchase a luxury compact SUV you can’t go past the Porsche Macan. It is a thing of beauty. More affordable options include newer versions of the Mazda CX-5 or VW Tiguan; both are coming in May.

The new 5 series or E class with AWD are wonderful vehicles too. (I’d go with the 5 series. I had an E class and cost of ownership is astronomical.)

I’m looking for a new car and I test drove the new Hyundai Elantra Sport. It’s amazing with a base price just above 21K and fully loaded at 26K. Dealer incentives are $2500 and 0% financing. I’m close to pulling the trigger but need to really think about whether as a family we need a second car.

I have an Acura MDX and it is practical for all intensive purposes. I use it to haul my kids around town to their various sporting events. I also use it to carry our bicycles around. The third row gets frequent use. The car is all wheel drive and has super handling. The SUV handles well and is fast enough for freeway merging. It is not a luxurious as my wife’s Lexus GX, but it gets the job done in a more practical sense. The maintenance is not expensive and it offers a lot of technology. We have taken it to the snow and on many road trips. The kids love having the rear entertainment system and rear climate control with heated seats. There is plenty of storage space and topped off with 10 drink holders. I purchased this off lease from my friend. He changes cars every two to three years. I purchased it two years old with 21,000 miles on it for half price. I think it was a good purchase.

I know you don’t find Subarus exciting – but they are safe utilitarian vehicles, if that’s what the point of the article is. We got 2014 Outback at 0% for 3 years, when our son was born, even though I could have paid all cash. You can get 0% apr these days too.

They aren’t the most stylish cars, no one aspires to own one when they grow up :). But they work and take abuse. The AWD is awesome in the snow in the NE. Will definitely work in Tahoe. Decent gas mileage with the 4 cylinder version and that version is pretty cheap to boot.

Yes, the Velar looks nice (both outside and more upscale inside), but I’m guessing it’s going to run ~ $10k more. Probably worth it if you are going off-road; or you have some nostalgia due to Moose.
The upcoming Volvo XC60 looks interesting too.

Very curious as to what you decide, as I’m in a similar situation (mid-40s, ready to get something a bit nicer). Candidly, I still like the Tesla S but I hear awful stories of having to get them repaired for what seems like fender-benders. Insurance covers it, but eventually that gets priced into the premiums.

I vote for the Tesla X. It’s expensive, but that’s not the point of this post right?
In extremis, imagine your thoughts after an accident (I could have spent more and they’d be alive).
Like my father says sometimes, if you can pay it with money, then it’s cheap

Some of the vehicle brands mentioned in these comments such as Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi have Overseas Delivery Programs that I am surprise very few utilize here in the United States-Volvo having the best program. It may not be for everyone, but the possible savings anywhere from 3 to 10% off of MSRP pending on model type, no price haggling, being able to order exact features you want (US compliant), 2 round trip airline tickets and one night hotel stay and pick up and drop off at Airport included (Volvo’s program), pick up your car at the factory where it has been built and being able to be the VERY first person to drive it off the factory line (Cool factor), and if you wish drive around Europe on a planned vacation with your brand new car prior to having it shipped which here again saves you a lot vs renting a car which is OUTRAGEOUS in the EU (Very Cool factor).

Now Sam, this will really bake your noodle, what if you were to do a car buying Travel Blog exclusive experience utilizing one of these programs? Not only would you reap the benefits of what I mentioned above, but you could also potentially write off expenses for the trip where some of the programs (Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche) don’t offer airline/lodging, etc.

I have been asked to do research
( let’s pretend that this person has LOTS (high end) of money…Or HARDLY ANY( low end) money)
….. For a person that will need to go to a car rental place, once getting into the chosen town of choice. TRAVEL ISSUES…………..

1. Driver is about age 65
2. Will drive at night (unknown if it will be freeway or country road driving) sometimes
3. Will drive around CRAZY drivers who go WAY TO FAST, DISTRACTED by cell phones or ?? , CONGESTED, No safe place to pull over, & ANYTHING can happen.
4. Has a passenger who has HIGH travel anxieties (been in a few HORRIBLE accidents) & afraid of ANYTHING that “appears” like they are going to DIE any second now.
5. Some roads have HORRIBLE HAZARDS such as to many pot holes, debris, no safe areas to pull over to side of the road, can’t see around or over curves, hills, & parked cars.
6. Bad weather conditions such as extreme​ heat, rain, hail, snow & such
What vehicle would be the best to ask for as far as
SAFEST, FUN, POWER, ( get up & go) great on GAS, fits 4 to 5 people for long trips, & CLASSY/ LUXURY ???? SAFETY FIRST !!!!!!!!!! The thought was maybe a SUV ??? Can’t roll over easily like some vans do. HEAVY ” might be good” ????
Please help as soon as possible.

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